Sammy Watkins went and did it, all right. Threw it out there two months early and will let it linger for all to scoff and ridicule.

Clemson is no longer Clemson.

For those who haven’t followed over the last, say, three decades, we’ll give you this abridged explanation of the long and tortuous ordeal that has been Clemson football: all hat, no cattle.

Now, we’ll reintroduce Watkins, and this surprising—yet refreshing—statement to the Greenville (S.C.) News about Clemson’s season opener against rival and SEC heavyweight Georgia:

“If we come out and beat Georgia—not just beat ‘em, but beat the mess out of ‘em like we should—I don’t see no problems getting started in the right direction,” Watkins said.

So why not get started July 1?

You say Watkins is popping off and placing a target directly on the back of Clemson. I say he’s doing exactly what Tigers coach Dabo Swinney did last December, proclaiming Clemson had to start winning big games to be considered among the nation’s elite—then getting a big win over LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.

You say Watkins is giving Georgia motivation, I say he’s doing exactly what Brent Venables did last September after his Clemson defense gave up 49 points in a loss to Florida State. A month into his first season as defensive coordinator, he gathered his defense in a meeting room and told them the days of quitting were over—then watched the unit get better as the season progressed and eventually give up 219 total yards in the victory over LSU.

So when Watkins says he’s “not worried” about Georgia, Florida State and South Carolina on the 2013 schedule, maybe it’s really not hollow bravado. Maybe he sees the potential of what could be this fall—and is forcing everyone involved at Clemson to take ownership.

Or maybe he and everyone else at Clemson sees reality: If the Tigers can beat LSU, they can beat anyone in the SEC. Including big, bad Alabama.